Hewlett-Packard, commonly referred to as HP, easily outsold its biggest rival Dell in the lucrative personal computer market last year, figures show.

HP had a global market share of 18.2 per cent in 2007, while Dell's share dropped to 14.3 per cent, research company Gartner said.

According to the figures, a total of 271.2 million PCs were shipped worldwide in 2007, an increase of 13.4 per cent on a year earlier.

"HP established a solid number one position in 2007. Robust consumer and mobile PC sales across all regions were two main drivers of HP's overall growth," said Gartner's Mikako Kitagawa.

Gartner attributed Dell's declining market share to the fact that is undergoing a major business reorganisation.

But Gartner said Dell showed signs of a recovery at the end of the year as it registered positive year-over-year growth for two consecutive quarters.

Mikako Kitagawa, Gartner: "HP established a solid number one position in 2007. Robust consumer and mobile PC sales across all regions were two main drivers of HP's overall growth."

California-based HP shipped a whopping 49,434 PCs last year, a 30 per cent increase on 2006.

Meanwhile, Dell, once the darling of the PC World, shipped 38,709 PCs in 2007, up by just 1.7 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Both firms had an almost identical global market share in 2006.

"In calendar 2007, HP completed a makeover of its extensive PC portfolio serving large enterprise, small business and individual consumers. Gartner's report shows that customers the world over enthusiastically embraced HP’s products for their high design and leading-edge technology," said HP's Todd Bradley.

"We will continue to work to earn customer loyalty by delivering an excellent experience and innovation that really matters," he added.

Taiwan-based Acer recorded the strongest growth in PC sales last year. The firm shipped 24,257 computers, a healthy 33 per cent jump on 2006.

The Asia-Pacific region overtook the US to become the world's second-largest market for PCs.

A total of 70.7 million units were shipped in Asia-Pacific, an 18.7 per cent increase from 2006.

The region's rapid growth was boosted by bumper sales in India and Vietnam.

Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) is still the biggest market on the planet, Gartner said.

The article HP leads Dell in PC sales originally appeared on 999 Today